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Scientific American
08-05-2025
- Business
- Scientific American
Shuttering of EPA's Energy Star Program Would Impact Electric Bills and the Environment
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to do away with its Energy Star program, the New York Times has reported—signaling the end of the efficiency certification project that has helped families and business to save more than $500 billion in energy costs since 1992, by the agency's own metrics. The EPA has not yet made the cut official, but employees were told in an internal meeting that Energy Star would be eliminated, according to the Times. What Is Energy Star? First put into place 33 years ago under the administration of George H.W. Bush, Energy Star is a testing and certification program for appliances and electronics. Businesses can use the Energy Star logo if their products are third-party certified as meeting the EPA's energy efficiency benchmarks; the agency also oversees continued post-market testing of appliances and electronics to ensure they are still performing up to snuff. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Consumers can also get rebates and tax credits on purchases of Energy Star-labeled products. The program additionally extends to certifying energy-efficient homes and apartment buildings, commercial buildings and industrial plants. These certifications affect local building code benchmarks and tax incentives for homeowners, says Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit research organization focused on reducing energy waste. 'The consumer labeling is the headline, if you will, but there are all sorts of other implications of this that aren't as well understood,' Nadel says. What Are the Impacts of the Energy Star Program? According to an annual Energy Star report released by the EPA in May 2024, the program has saved more than 5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity since 1992 and prevented 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the same period. More than $100 billion of Energy Star products are sold each year, and a 2022 survey found that 89 percent of Americans recognized the Energy Star label. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said an Energy Star designation was very or somewhat influential in their purchasing decisions. According to the EPA's 2024 report, each dollar spent on the Energy Star program spurred $230 in spending on energy-efficient infrastructure and services by homes and businesses. The EPA estimates the program saves a typical household $450 on energy bills each year. In April, a group of over 1,000 manufacturers, building owners and small businesses signed a letter asking EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to keep the program, which today has an annual budget of about $32 million. 'Most economists would agree it's generally a pretty good use of federal funds,' says Joe Craig, the chair of the department of economics at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Companies voluntarily participate in the program, and consumers voluntarily decide whether to buy products with the label. 'You could argue, in theory, it should be done by the private market, and the government shouldn't be involved at all,' Craig says. But he notes that few private companies are well-funded enough to run such programs. What Will Happen without Energy Star? There are a few other energy certifications that consumers and industry can turn to in the absence of energy star: LEED certification for buildings, for example, or specifications from the nonprofit Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), Inc., for products. Unlike the EPA, however, CEE does not independently test or certify products, and LEED certification is limited to architecture. States and the federal government set energy efficiency standards, but these are minimum requirements—not the higher bar of efficiency set by Energy Star. 'If it disappears, will there be something?' Nadel says. 'Probably, but my guess is it will probably be very ad hoc.' Utilities and states might set their own energy efficiency benchmarks, but that situation will be challenging for manufacturers to navigate, he says. 'People like that uniformity around the country,' Nadel explains. Outreach to consumers is also more difficult for a patchwork of local and state-level programs, compared to one well-established, widely recognizable federal one, he adds. 'They haven't worked out most of the details,' Nadel says, 'so time will tell how this evolves.'
The Verge
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Trump cuts Energy Star program that saved households $450 a year
The Trump administration is moving to shut down the Energy Star program, which saves homeowners an average of $450 a year. 'If you wanted to raise families' energy bills, getting rid of the Energy Star label would be a pretty good way,' says Steven Nadel of the American Council for Energy Efficiency. The program, which started in 1992, provides basic information about how much energy an appliance uses. Without it, your next large appliance purchase could end up costing you more money than you bargained for. Buying Energy Star-rated products can also qualify you for rebates on appliances as well as tax credits of up to $3,200 annually. Sources in the Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees Energy Star, say that Trump administration officials told them the program will be shuttered, according to reports from CNN and The Washington Post. Molly Vaseliou, EPA Associate Administrator for Public Affairs, confirmed to The Verge via email that the agency is going through the 'next phase of organizational improvements' to 'better provide clean air, water, and land for all Americans.' Vaseliou shared a PDF showing a future organizational chart with the Office of Transportation & Air Quality and the Office of Radiation & Indoor Air Quality eliminated. Vaseliou did not respond to questions about Energy Star specifically, but the program falls under these departments. Energy Star is a private-public partnership set up by the first Bush administration in 1992 to help consumers and businesses save money by reducing their energy use, while conserving natural resources. Over that time, it's saved more than $500 billion in energy costs. 'For just $32 million a year, Energy Star helps American families save over $40 billion in annual energy costs,' Paula Glover, president of the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy, told CNN. 'That's a return of $350 for every federal dollar invested.'
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Utility bills could rise as Trump's EPA to end Energy Star program, experts warn
US customers could face higher energy bills, experts have warned, amid reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to end the Energy Star program whose blue labels have certified energy efficiency on home appliances for more than 30 years. 'If you wanted to raise families' energy bills, getting rid of the Energy Star label would be a pretty good way,' said Steven Nadel, executive director of the non-profit research organization the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). 'This would take away basic information from consumers who want to choose cost-saving products easily. There's a reason this program has been so popular with consumers and manufacturers alike.' In March, hundreds of companies and groups signed a letter urging the EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, to maintain full funding and staffing levels in the program. The reports of its elimination come after Donald Trump has railed against showers and toilets that conserve water. In April, he signed an executive order to 'restore shower freedom'. The plans to close the popular Energy Star program, first reported by CNN and the Washington Post, would come as part of wider agency cuts and the dissolution of the EPA's office of atmospheric protection (OAP) and the office of air quality planning and standards. The plans to close the popular Energy Star program, first reported by CNN and the Washington Post, came after an OAP staff meeting on Monday. The New York Times reported that staff were told: 'The Energy Star program and all the other climate work, outside of what's required by statute, is being de-prioritized and eliminated.' The EPA on Tuesday declined to comment specifically on Energy Star but said: 'EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people.' In the letter sent to the EPA in March, nearly three dozen trade industry groups and appliance companies including the Chamber of Commerce, Bosch, Carrier and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute said Energy Star was a good 'non-regulatory' collaboration between the private sector and federal government. 'Eliminating it will not serve the American people. In fact, because the Energy Star brand is highly recognizable to consumers, it is likely that, should the program be eliminated, it will be supplanted by initiatives that drive results counter to the goals of this administration such as decreased features, functionality, performance, or increased costs.' skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Other OAP programs that are uncertain amid the reorganization include the voluntary methane reporting program for the oil and gas sector. Democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said ending the program would raise costs for consumers. 'Let's be clear: Cutting the popular Energy Star program – which helps everyday households and businesses save on their energy bills – would mark another rash attempt by this administration to line the pockets of billionaires and utility companies at the expense of hardworking Americans,' she said in a statement. Reuters contributed to reporting
The Hill
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Trump administration cutting Energy Star and climate reporting program: Source
The Trump administration is cutting the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star program, which highlights energy efficient home appliances, an agency source told The Hill on Tuesday. According to the source, at a meeting Monday, staffers were told that Energy Star was being eliminated, as is the Climate Protection Partnerships division that houses it. Staffers were also told that the EPA was cutting its Climate Change division, which includes the agency's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. This program requires major polluters to report their planet-warming emissions. The plans were first reported by CNN. In a statement to The Hill, the EPA noted that it had announced a broad reorganization on Friday. 'With this action, EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency's core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback,' said an agency spokesperson in an email. The news comes after the Trump administration indicated in its skinny budget that it wanted to cut funding from the Office of Atmospheric Protection, which includes Energy Star and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The White House has sought to cut staff across the board — but has taken particular aim at climate change, which President Trump has repeatedly downplayed. The president has also lamented pushes toward more energy efficient appliances. Much of his criticism, however, has focused on regulations rather than programs such as Energy Star, which is a voluntary partnership. Under the program, companies that meet energy efficiency specifications can display the Energy Star logo to inform consumers that the government considers their product to be efficient. The move to cut the program is getting significant pushback. 'If you wanted to raise families' energy bills, getting rid of the ENERGY STAR label would be a pretty good way,' said Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, in a written statement. 'This would take away basic information from consumers who want to choose cost-saving products easily.' Industry players have also expressed support for Energy Star, with various appliance companies and trade groups writing to the administration in March that it 'reduces burden and aligns with the laudable goal of freedom to choose from a wide variety of appliances.'
